Electrical cord reel with removeable cord

• US 8,801,458 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Great Stuff, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Great Stuff, Inc.
• Inventors: Ceraldi, Richard, Tracey, James B. A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuongchi T
• Application Number:
  US13/724,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20130171865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 439/534, 439/536, 439/535, 439/131, 439/142, 439/165, 439/6, 439/651, 439/501, 439/954
• US Class Current: 439/501
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/34 electric cords or electric power cables
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/28 Arrangements for positively securing ends of material
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/40 mobile or transportable
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/4471 Housing enclosing the reel
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/72 Means for accommodating flexible lead within the holder
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/02 Intermediate parts for distributing energy to two or more circuits in parallel, e.g. splitter with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/92
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/02 using take-up reel or drum

Abstract

An electrical cord can include a cord segment with an electrical connector. The connector can connect to a spool member of an electrical cord reel to form an electrical connection between the electrical cord and the electrical cord reel. The spool can have a recess that engages and/or mates with the connector. When the connector is in the recess, at least a portion of the connector can be flush with a cylinder surface of the spool. The connector can be secured in the recess with one or more fasteners (e.g., screws). The connector and recess can have members that act as the primary load bearing members when spooling and unspooling the electrical cord to inhibit the application of loads on the electrical connection during rotation of the spool member.

Claims

1. An electrical cord reel comprising:

a spool member having an outer cylindrical surface, the spool member being rotatable about a center axis of the spool member, the cylindrical surface having a recess defined by a floor, the spool member having a trench formed within the cylindrical surface, the trench having first and second ends, the trench at the first end extending into the recess, the trench extending substantially circumferentially from the recess;

a plurality of electrically conductive reel contacts accessible via the recess; and

an electrical cord configured to be wound on the outer cylindrical surface of the spool member, the electrical cord comprising;

a cord segment having a plurality of wires, and

a connector connected to an end portion of the cord segment, the connector having a reel-engagement position in which the connector resides within the recess of the spool member, the connector being securable to the spool member by at least one screw to facilitate selective attachment and removal of the connector with respect to the spool member, the connector including a plurality of electrically conductive cord contacts equal in number to the reel contacts,

wherein, when the connector is in the reel-engagement position;

an inner major surface of the connector mates with the floor of the recess,

an outer major surface of the connector replaces at least a majority of the spool member'"'"'s cylindrical surface that is not included due to the presence of the recess,

the end portion of the cord segment resides within the trench;

each of the cord contacts connects electrically with a different one of the reel contacts, and

the reel is configured to convey electrical power from an external power source to the reel contacts and to the cord contacts and the wires of the cord segment.

2. The cord reel of claim 1, wherein, when the connector is in the reel-engagement position, the outer major surface of the connector is substantially flush with the spool member'"'"'s cylindrical surface.

3. The cord reel of claim 1, wherein the floor of the recess is curved to generally match a curvature of the outer cylindrical surface of the spool member.

4. The cord reel of claim 1, wherein the trench includes a floor whose distance from the center axis tapers from a first distance at the first end of the trench to a second distance at the second end of the trench, the second distance being longer than the first distance and being equal to a radius of the cylindrical surface of the spool member.

5. The cord reel of claim 1, wherein the number of reel contacts is equal to the number of cord contacts and is also equal to the number of wires of the plurality of wires of the cord segment.

6. The cord reel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wires comprises a ground wire, a hot wire, and a neutral wire.

7. The cord reel of claim 6, wherein the plurality of wires further comprises at least one signal wire.

8. The cord reel of claim 1, wherein the reel contacts are disposed within a perimeter wall of the recess, the perimeter wall circumscribing the floor of the recess.

9. The cord reel of claim 8, wherein the reel contacts are disposed within prong apertures formed in the perimeter wall.

10. The cord reel of claim 8, wherein the connector includes a perimeter wall extending from the inner major surface to the outer major surface, the perimeter wall of the connector configured to closely mate with the perimeter wall of the recess when the connector is in the reel-engagement position.

11. The cord reel of claim 10, wherein the perimeter wall of the connector comprises first and second substantially flat wall portions on opposing ends of the connector, the cord contacts being disposed within the first wall portion, the end portion of the cord segment being connected to the second wall portion.

12. The cord reel of claim 11, further comprising:

a first connector screw hole extending through the first wall portion of the connector;

a first reel screw hole within the perimeter wall of the recess, the first reel screw hole configured to align with the first connector screw hole when the connector is in the reel-engagement position;

a first flange extending from the second wall portion of the connector;

a second connector screw hole extending through the first flange; and

a second reel screw hole within the spool member, the second reel screw hole being configured to align with the second connector screw hole when the connector is in the reel-engagement position.

13. The cord reel of claim 12, wherein the recess includes a first shoulder on a side of the trench, the first shoulder having a radially outer surface radially positioned between the floor of the recess and the cylindrical surface of the spool, the second reel screw hole being formed within the radially outer surface of the first shoulder such that, when the at least one screw is in the second reel screw hole, the at least one screw does not radially protrude beyond the cylindrical surface of the spool.

14. The cord reel of claim 12, wherein the at least one screw comprises:

a first screw configured to extend through the first connector screw hole and the first reel screw hole; and

a second screw configured to extend through the second connector screw hole and the second reel screw hole.

15. The cord reel of claim 12, further comprising:

a second flange extending from the second wall portion of the connector on an opposing side of the end portion of the cord segment with the first flange;

a third connector screw hole extending through the second flange; and

a third reel screw hole within the spool member, the third reel screw hole configured to align with the third connector screw hole when the connector is in the reel-engagement position.

16. The cord reel of claim 15, wherein the recess includes a pair of shoulders on opposing sides of the trench, the shoulders having radially outer surfaces radially positioned between the floor of the recess and the cylindrical surface of the spool, the second reel screw hole being formed within the radially outer surface of a first shoulder of the pair of shoulders, and the third reel screw hole being formed within the radially outer surface of a second shoulder of the pair of shoulders, such that, when the at least one screw is in the second reel screw hole or the third reel screw hole, the at least one screw does not radially protrude beyond the cylindrical surface of the spool.

17. The cord reel of claim 16, wherein the at least one screw comprises:

a first screw configured to extend through the first connector screw hole and the first reel screw hole;

a second screw configured to extend through the second connector screw hole and the second reel screw hole; and

a third screw configured to extend through the third connector screw hole and the third reel screw hole.

18. An electrical cord reel comprising:

a spool member rotatable about a winding axis, the spool member comprising a spool surface having a depression;

an electrical cord configured for spooling on the spool surface of the spool member, the electrical cord comprising;

a cord segment having a wire, and

an adapter on an end of the electrical cord and connected to the cord segment, the adapter configured to be removably disposed in the depression,

wherein an electrical connection is formed between the electrical cord reel and the electrical cord when the adapter is disposed in the depression; and

wherein rotation of the spool member causes a translational movement of the electrical cord at least partially through movement of the adapter along with the spool surface when the adapter is in the depression.

19. The cord reel of claim 18, wherein the adapter comprises a top surface at least partially flush with the spool surface when the adapter is in the depression such that kinks in the electrical cord are minimized when the electrical cord is wound onto the spool member.

20. The cord reel of claim 18, wherein the adapter comprises a perimeter wall between a top surface and a bottom surface of the adapter, and the depression comprises a perimeter wall bounding a lower surface of the depression, and wherein the perimeter wall of the depression engages the perimeter wall of the adapter to at least partially cause movement of the adapter when the spool member rotates such that the perimeter wall of the depression and the perimeter wall of the adapter at least partially bear loads resulting from movement of the adapter when the adapter is in the depression and the spool member rotates.

21. The cord reel of claim 20, wherein at least a portion of the perimeter wall of the adapter is substantially perpendicular to the spool surface when the adapter is in the depression, and wherein the adapter further comprises a cord prong extending from the perpendicular portion of the perimeter wall of the adapter along a direction substantially perpendicular to the perpendicular portion of the perimeter wall of the adapter such that the loads resulting from movement of the adapter when in the depression are minimized on the cord prongs by the loads acting substantially parallel to the extension direction of the cord prongs.

22. The cord reel of claim 18, wherein the adapter comprises a first adapter connector hole, and the depression comprises a first depression connector hole, and wherein the first adapter connector hole and the first depression connector hole are configured to accept a first connector to secure the adapter in the depression.

23. The cord reel of claim 22, wherein the first adapter connector hole and the first depression connector hole are configured to orient the first connector substantially perpendicular to a radius of the spool member from the winding axis, and wherein the adapter comprises a cord prong configured to form the electrical connection between the electrical cord reel and the electrical cord when the adapter is in the depression, the cord prong projecting from the adapter in a direction substantially parallel with the first connector when the first connector is in the first adapter connector hole and the first depression connector hole such that loads resulting from movement of the adapter when the adapter is in the depression and the spool member rotates are minimized on the first connector and the cord prong.

24. The cord reel of claim 22, wherein the adapter comprises a second adapter connector hole, and the depression comprises a second depression connector hole, and wherein the second adapter connector hole and the second depression connector hole are configured to accept a second connector to secure the adapter in the depression, and wherein second connector is oriented substantially parallel to the first connector when the second connector is in the second adapter connector hole and the second depression connector hole and when the first connector is in the first adapter connector hole and the first depression connector hole, such that the second connector acts in parallel with the first connector to secure the adapter in the depression and inhibits loads on one or more cord prongs of the adapter as the spool member is rotated.